Running game/Joe Mixon, what's up?

[*bengalfan74*]

WE all know our running game has, well, sucked. Not a news flash. We're 26th in rushing yards - 358, 31st in yards per carry - 3.1, tied with three other teams for 32nd in TD's with 1, and 27th in rushes for 1st downs with - 18.

Again, we all know the Oline hasn't been playing All World. But I don't believe it's all their fault. So I decided to watch the Jets game again just to see what I could see?

I was watching for Joe Mixon tipping run plays with having his hands on knees for run plays and not for pass plays. And there's probably some truth to that. There were a couple pass plays where he did have hands on knees but his stance wasn't as knees bent and leaning forward as most of the rushing plays.

But the other biggie I noticed is an indictment on Both Joe's! More often than not neither one is selling the play action pass and or true handoff at all. I mean:

Play action pass - Joe Mixon comes up and puts his arms/hands into the taking a handoff position and then does little to nothing to sell it's a run. Not really lowering head and leaving arms in the "I have the football position" bursting downfield. A step after the fake handoff everybody in the stadium knows he doesn't have the ball!

Real handoff - Joe Burrow hands ball off and just stands there with very little to no (mostly no) attempt to deceive anybody that he still has the ball. Again, as soon as Joe hands ball off everybody in the stadium (on every play) knows Burrow handed it off.

I went back on several plays and specifically watched the LBers reactions to plays and like 95% of the time no matter what the play was they weren't fooled, AT ALL.

I think there's an element here we're they've both been kinda phoning it in. And it's not helping anything.